Today, managed to get to the panel session on Continuous Education v2: How Institutions can innovate and adapt.
The panel's moderator is David Atchoarena, Director of UIL who summarises each panelist's contribution.
Panelists include: Lily Kong, President of the Singapore Management University (SMU); Andreas Schleicher, Director for the Directorate of Education and Skills, OECD; and Christen Bollig, Chief Operations Officer for the General Assembly, USA.
Conversation centres around the Higher Education (HE) context and how this sector contributes to lifelong learning. Focus on the third pillar of universities (apart from research and teaching) to provide educational opportunities for their communities. For example, the aging population some who may be returning to education to either upskill or to attain self-actualisation.
Andreas Schleicher joins the panel online.
Firstly, how can universities play a bigger role in providing lifelong learning and supporting learners across their life trajectories. How does the entry of these lifelong learning, contribute to the life of the university.
Lily Kong speaks on the need to understand the main objectives of universities, each with specific roles - they may be research or liberal arts etc. and are not monolithic. All of the Singapore universities delivery lifelong learning through continuing education programmes to upskill and re-skill the workforce as there is greater reliance on the human resource in the country. At the SMU has been active in this space. SMU does this as they are able to influence their learners /alumni to understand the reason for lifelong learning and the need for continuing education. Alumni's are important due to the relationships already formed with the institute and their understanding of the institutional culture. Universities can contribute towards the research on andragogy and use this knowledge to enhance teaching and learning. Research also places universities at the cutting edge and brings currency and relevance to the curriculum.
Andreas Schleicher provides the international perspective. Originally universities served the elite but now, in some countries, over 1/2 of the population participates in HE. Differentiation between universities has increased. University students now no longer predominantly a post-school experience. Individual need to attain skills to navigate their learning as they progress through their careers. Not all universities provide sufficient flexibility to support access from the learners' perspective. Still some way to go for many universities. Learners need to be good facilitators, evaluators, learners etc. not just good technicians. Pandemic has shown us that universities not needed for the provision of high quality education. Formal credentials are now not required for many occupations, stackable microcredentials are one way for learners to access 'just-in-time' learning, when it is required. Biggest threat to universities now is the lose of relevance of the ways universities provision education, given the affordances now availed by technology. Learning should be an activity, not a place.
Second set of questions revolve around the complementary factors and processed between universities and other sectors - corporations, government etc.
Christen Bollig discusses this and stresses the importance of not losing the broad objectives of universities, for example from liberal arts universities. Universities play a role in incubating new strategies and then helping to disseminate these through other industries and sectors.
How can inclusion and equity be included?
HE has always not served large sectors of the population. Again, universities can work through the challenges and undertake the processes required to attract, support and provide equitable completions for groups not usually associated with university education. The ideal solution for the learner must not only include universities but also industry, government etc. so learners have a wraparound service to support learners towards equitable outcomes.
Lily Kong stressed the importance of being more agile and to allow for different cohort of learners, need curriculum which is matched to their needs. For traditional students, time is required to build critical thinking skills etc. But for continuing education 'just-in-time' learning is more appropriate.
Andreas Schleicher reminded us that there are still many ways to segment the market and each has a role in meeting the needs of their learners. Understanding the needs of learners is a key. Additional foundation learning is often needed to help 'returning' learners flourish when they re-enter university. Regulatory framework for the market is important to ensure the system works for learners.
Q & A followed.
The third discussion centred around credentialing lifelong learning.
Andreas Schleicher reiterated the importance of helping learners to evaluate their learning needs and to continually refresh their lifelong learning curriculum. Society, institutions, government, industry etc. all need to contribute towards supporting individuals to keep on learning, to maintain, refresh or acquire skills as the come into need. Great places must also be great places for learning. Institutions need to ensure they add value to learners including those at the margins of society, moving between careers, the unemployed etc. New forms of work create many challenges, not only for workers but the whole system.
Lily Khoo discussed the beginnings of stacking, micro-qualifications are already in train. Possibilities include students moving out of formal learning, to work and back again and both can be credentialised into the general qualification. Stacking or pathway through qualifications are traditional but the structure and delivery of these programmes need to be updated to suit the requirement for greater flexibility.
Christen Bollig - learners struggle to understand how to select and bring together, the range of credentials now available. How are the credits valued and quantified. Regulatory frameworks are important but in a free market like the USA, the diversity, and multiplicity of choices, makes it difficult for learners, employers and industry. Universities/institutions need to ensure that graduates/employers able to feedback how the education completed, meets/or not meet the job/occupational tasks.
Lily Khoo - for the ability to make a difference. Individuals, industry government etc. Universities need to ensure students have the opportunity to build good relationships that will last a lifetime. Faculty include not only those at the university but also out in industry.
Andreas Schleicher agreed and stressed the need for individuals to assume greater agency through development of better understand of career planning. Christen Bollig stressed the need of collaboration across the sector to help meet the needs of the learners who are now un or underserved.
David Atchoarena provided a good overview of the discussion.
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